[r6rs-discuss] [Formal] Add symbol=? and boolean=?

[Robby Findler]

On 2/11/07, Thomas Lord <lord at emf.net> wrote:
> I have a nagging feeling that the value/object distinction
> is confusing things here.   Is that distinction deeply reflected
> in the operational semantics?

I haven't followed super closely but I think the value/object
distinction is just a separation of what the operational semantics
calls values into two different groups. Possibly these groups are
already separated out in the current operational semantics: one set is
the things that the operational semantics uses identifiers in the
store for and the other set is the rest of them (but I'm not sure,
that could be wrong).

> I'd like to be able to explain
> the various equality predicates in terms of a simple substitution
> of terms in the semantics.

That isn't possible with the current informal semantics, due to the
way the underspecification is set up there. I imagine you're
suggesting a different semantics, however. (Just so I'm clear: I have
no official opinion on such different semantics -- I'm only here to
comment on the operational semantics itself, when appropriate.)

Robby